2 1/2 weeks away... roll call
it begins now...SNOWSHOE WC BITCHEZ
- Thread starter jstuhlman
- Start date
going. will be working during trackwalk and practice but should be free to spectate and hang out afterwards. got confirmation from @jstuhlman that I can crash at casa de monkey too
I'll be arriving Thursday evening w/ like 15 d00ds. We are all staying up in the village around the rimjob/fire.
So- the resort thinks that they will have 40,000 spectators. Will they have even a quarter that many?
I live 3 hours away in the closest "city", one with a notably strong kids xc community, but I think we have less than 20 people from around here headed up.
This is the FIRST time a World Cup race will happen in the USA without citizens racing. No citizens racing... no bikepark= Skeered it's gonna be a ghosttown up there.
I live 3 hours away in the closest "city", one with a notably strong kids xc community, but I think we have less than 20 people from around here headed up.
This is the FIRST time a World Cup race will happen in the USA without citizens racing. No citizens racing... no bikepark= Skeered it's gonna be a ghosttown up there.
friend who was up there last week reported back more in the 15,000 range. still a ton. no 'muricans racing? no gwin? no harrison? no norton? no neko? no shaw?
Citizens= you and me-
Every Windham race had the full compliment of amateur racing. The WC's before Windham co-incided with NORBA national series races.
Plenty of American's will be racing. Heck, there are at least 5 on the start list who live less than 8 hours away...
Every Windham race had the full compliment of amateur racing. The WC's before Windham co-incided with NORBA national series races.
Plenty of American's will be racing. Heck, there are at least 5 on the start list who live less than 8 hours away...
i was quite surprised they were closing the bikepark for the race. from the trail maps it looks big enough it shouldn't have been an issue?
citizens race = amatuer race.
close ALL the things!
and yeah . . . amateur . . . got it.
I'm a bit surprised that the basin (lake) side is closed. Everything on the western territory side (where the race is) converges on one lift at the bottom, so I imagine that they didn't want to get all the pros backed up and have massive congestion. It's a pretty small area down there. Plus I think the course cuts back and forth across a bunch of the trails on that side.
it's a real easy solution. A) close the trails that the course interferes with and (B) pros get to cut the lift line. Windham did that and it was a non issue.
Who goes to the bikepark that's currently hosting a WC on the day of a WC event just to ride on the other side of the mountain? All the hassle of spectating the event, parking, crowds, piss on the floor in the port-o-john, etc, but none of the the drunken fun of watching the race. Seems like a bad plan.
Also probably a staffing issue, it allows them to move all their employees over to the WC track instead of paying them to run empty lifts because everybody will be spectating, not riding their enduro bike slowly down a blue dragging the brakes and getting siiiiiiiiiiick footage to post on the Gram later.
Also probably a staffing issue, it allows them to move all their employees over to the WC track instead of paying them to run empty lifts because everybody will be spectating, not riding their enduro bike slowly down a blue dragging the brakes and getting siiiiiiiiiiick footage to post on the Gram later.
win.
So is Gwin racing? Doesn't seem clear yet...It's essentially a worthless race for him but it is on American soil and he will be on the east coast at MSA...
not everyone is gonna be there to spectate DH.
Traditionally all the XC races have been on that side so I am assuming you are correct. It's funny people are all fired up about the mountain being closed. Also, If my memory serves me correctly this is going to be a bit of a burly WC xc race, those trails over there are pretty slimy and rocky, bit out of character of some of the other races. Can't wait to get down there!
are they using any of the nationals course from a couple years ago? because all pictures i saw of that looked like a really good course.
I am unsure on the XC stuff.
Yeah, I was prob slightly later to arrive than you but the NORBA XC races I remember watching on the basin side, equally slimy.
based on pics i've seen snowshoe is extra gnar in the wet.
Have you ridden there? It def embodies the slick tech east coast image everyone has, esp in the rain.
snowshoe is one of the few "classic" mountains on the east coast i haven't ridden
You said you are headed down for the WC correct? Gonna love it...It's got it's whole own thing going on. I have not been there in about 5 years, can't wait to get back next weekend.
yea, i'm going. bringing my megatrail to hopefully do some trail riding. @jstuhlman mentioned there's good riding to be had on the non0bike park trails.
plus i've been going to west virginia since i was a kid, my great grandfather was a coal miner in the southern part of the state, and his house / farm is still in the family.
I was at Snowshoe a few years ago in the wet. It rained one day and not the next.
The hill has enough rock and gravel in it that some trails were better in the wet.
In the woods though, that was wet and greasy, basically right and properly snotty.
Was equal parts fun, frustrating and frightening.
* Not ridden on a proper DH bike, but my 180/170 26" Knolly Delirium Freeride/AM/Enduro whatever you want to call it mountain bike.
The hill has enough rock and gravel in it that some trails were better in the wet.
In the woods though, that was wet and greasy, basically right and properly snotty.
Was equal parts fun, frustrating and frightening.
* Not ridden on a proper DH bike, but my 180/170 26" Knolly Delirium Freeride/AM/Enduro whatever you want to call it mountain bike.
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everything was still black and white back then
So now about this hurricane....
We finished up most of the pre-race prep on the DH track today. Lots of work with the chainsaw, lots of working pulling and tossing rocks. Definitely rolled some very big rocks into what have historically been the prime ride lines to flummox The Ricks...
The XCO track is pretty much ready for tape at this point. IMBA did a bunch of work on some connectors, and Snowshoe's crew built a couple hucks to flat and some cx style flyover bridges. It's not quite the same sort of course me and Floyd and Gunnar used to race, but it's gonna be really excellent spectating. If you are staying in the a basin side condo at the village you should be able to see about 60% of the track from your porch.
FYI- if you are camping at Silver Creek: the shuttle buses will not be running bike trailers- if you want your bike at Top of The World, you'll need to pedal it up the access road.
The XCO track is pretty much ready for tape at this point. IMBA did a bunch of work on some connectors, and Snowshoe's crew built a couple hucks to flat and some cx style flyover bridges. It's not quite the same sort of course me and Floyd and Gunnar used to race, but it's gonna be really excellent spectating. If you are staying in the a basin side condo at the village you should be able to see about 60% of the track from your porch.
FYI- if you are camping at Silver Creek: the shuttle buses will not be running bike trailers- if you want your bike at Top of The World, you'll need to pedal it up the access road.
Also rain gear boots and hiking stick.
I remember stories from the 24 hours of snowshoe where people where carrying kids bike and hiking the trails as it was faster than trying to ride through the mud.
current forecast has no hurricane effect. IS IT FRIDAY YET??? stoked after epic world champs was epic.
What years did you race w/ Floyd and Gunnar? I knew them from 94, 95. They were in pro, I was junior ex.
Running a mild chub atm, but work may require me to be stationed in front of a computer and directing NC water/sewer resources through at least Friday, so I may be fucked. If so, I will at least make an effort to wear a mid-riff shirt and do jager bombs while Im at the EOC. If I can convince my slavedrivers that this swirly storm is a non-issue unless you have a $4 million "cottage" on Cape Hatteras, I will be there with a mid-riff and jager bombs (and a lot of adult diapers).
race / practice schedule:
schedule of everything else:
schedule of everything else: